title: Defining, illustrating and reflecting on logic analysis with an example from a professional development program.
abstract: Program designers and evaluators should make a point of testing the validity of a program's intervention theory before investing either in implementation or in any type of evaluation. In this context, logic analysis can be a particularly useful option, since it can be used to test the plausibility of a program's intervention theory using scientific knowledge. Professional development in public health is one field among several that would truly benefit from logic analysis, as it appears to be generally lacking in theorization and evaluation. This article presents the application of this analysis method to an innovative public health professional development program, the Health Promotion Laboratory. More specifically, this paper aims to (1) define the logic analysis approach and differentiate it from similar evaluative methods; (2) illustrate the application of this method by a concrete example (logic analysis of a professional development program); and (3) reflect on the requirements of each phase of logic analysis, as well as on the advantages and disadvantages of such an evaluation method. Using logic analysis to evaluate the Health Promotion Laboratory showed that, generally speaking, the program's intervention theory appeared to have been well designed. By testing and critically discussing logic analysis, this article also contributes to further improving and clarifying the method.
authors.affiliation: Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7, Canada. Marie-Claude.Tremblay.7@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brousselle
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beaudet
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011361:Professional Competence; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D013192:Staff Development / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: CSSS; DSPM; Health and Social Services Centres; Intervention theory; Logic analysis; Logic model; Program evaluation; Public Health Directorate for Montreal; Theory-based evaluation